to be fair.... i only own Alden's and Lobb's. to put Alden in the same sentence as Lobb from a construction quality perspective, attention to detail, quality control is just absurd. All my Cordovan, Suede and CXL shoes are Alden, all my formal/calf shoes are Lobb. it's not even a comparison, nor should it be for double-triple the price, but to call Alden's a bargain is just dumb. Alden's are a fetish pure and simple. they are lovely, classic, etc. but the quality isn't...

i don't know about LA or SF but B. Nelson carries it. Have them ship it to your hotel or wherever your staying. i travel a lot and do this with many vendors. if you do it a week before your hotel stay and just let the hotel know they're usually pretty good about it.

you can probably just use reno or minkoil after the reno and with enough brushing the pigment will move around enough to cover the mark. i just brush my indy's for 5 mins after each wear and any scratches are invisible after that.